The Mail Order Bride's Deception (20 page)

“I have no doubt she was.  What happened to her was tragic.  There’s no denying that.  But Sadie, I hope you understand that you’re nice, too.  I’ve had a lot of time to think about our marriage on my way to find you, and there was no way you could have pretended to be someone else that entire time.  You might have been using Hazel’s name, but you were Sadie the whole time.  You were worth rescuing.” Tears filled her eyes and he gently brushed them away when they slid down her cheeks.  “It’s not important that you used to be a prostitute.  What’s important is that you’re my wife.  And I’m the luckiest man in the world because I have you in my life.”

“Thank you, Al,” she replied, her voice breaking on his name.

He gave her a soft kiss.  “Let’s find a place to sleep for the night.  Then we can talk more in the morning, alright?”

“Alright.”

His arm wrapped around her shoulders, he guided her down the next street.

Chapter Twenty

Sadie stirred from her sleep, afraid it’d all been a dream and that she was still at the brothel.  But when she opened her eyes, she saw Al watching her
in the dim light of the kerosene lamp, his hand tracing her breasts.  He smiled at her and brought her into his arms.  The sheets were still tangled from their recent round of lovemaking, but judging by his erection, he was ready to go again.

Sliding her hand between them, she stroked his penis and gave him a playful grin.  “I thought you wore yourself out earlier
.”

“Wore myself out?  I was just getting started
.” He rolled her onto her back and kissed her.

Closing her eyes as he deepened the kiss, she gave into the comfort and joy of being intimate with him.  This was how it should be when a woman made love to a man.  It should be something she look
ed forward to, something she could enjoy.

His tongue brushed hers, and a low
moan escaped her throat.  She wiggled against him, her sensitive nub pressing against his arousal.  A spark of pleasure coursed through her.  She began to rock her hips, encouraged when the pleasure grew stronger.

His tongue sparred
with hers, making her aware of his increasing desire for her.  She focused on the way he smelled, the way he tasted, the way he groaned.  All of it was wonderful because it was all coming from him.  Her body responded so easily to him.  Already, she detected the heated wetness between her legs, prompting her to grow more insistent as she continued rubbing intimately against him.  And soon he was moving his hips in time with hers.  She gave herself completely to the moment and soon, her body exploded with pleasure.

His mouth le
ft hers and he kissed her neck, murmuring her name.  When she relaxed, she wrapped her legs around his waist and took him into the warmth of her body.  He let out a low moan and proceeded to make love her.

In the dim light, she examined his face, noting the way he looked as he made love to her.  She wanted to sear the image into her memory forever so she would never remember any of the other men who’d done this to her.  They hadn’t ever made love to her.  All they’d done was satisfy themselves by using her.  But Al was expressing his love for her, and that made all the difference.

At one point, he opened his eyes and for a moment, his thrusting slowed.  “Sadie,” he whispered.

She swallowed and nodded.  She had no idea that it’d make her feel so vulnerable for him to call her by name during this act.

“I love you, Sadie.”

“I love you too, Al,” she replied, blinking back her tears.  He really did love her.  And it seemed much more profound that he should say it while making love to her.

He lowered his head and kissed her before he resumed his lovemaking.  Her hips rose to take him in deeper.  They worked together, both striving for the same goal, each one needing to be claimed by the other.  She was his and he was hers.  That was the way it had been since they married and it would be that way for the rest of their lives.

She tightened her hold on him
and murmured his name.  Deep in her core, she became aware of the now-familiar mounting pleasure that would result in her release.  Deciding to pursue it, she rolled him onto his back and rocked her hips, sliding her sensitive nub intimately against him, an action which intensified her pleasure.

“Yes, Sadie.  Come for
me, honey.”

Letting out a cry, she did, her body growing still as her flesh clenched around him.
Once the waves subsided, she began rocking her hips again, this time with the intention of satisfying him.  He thrust deeper into her, going with the rhythm she had established.  And soon, he grew taut and she stopped moving.  He throbbed inside her as he released his seed.

Once
he relaxed, she settled in his arms.  Not in any hurry to get off of him, she remained where she was.  She didn’t think she’d ever enjoy the feel a man’s penis inside her, but she did with Al.  And being so intimately connected to him even after lovemaking was a very pleasant experience.  It took a couple minutes before her breathing returned to normal.  He wrapped his arms protectively around her, and she smiled.

“I think I might be able to go back to sleep now,” he whispered.

“You’re finally satisfied?” she teased, lifting her head so she could look at him.

“At the moment,”
he replied and kissed her.  “But don’t be surprised if I wake you up again.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” Her smile widening, she rested her head on his shoulder and soon fell back to sleep.

***

The next morning, Al took Sadie to the doctor she’d been to that fateful afternoon when she found Hazel in the restaurant.  Just walking into the small room and seeing the bed brought back all the memories she’d relived many times over the past few months.

“May I help you?” the doctor asked as he stood up from his desk and approached them.

Al shut the door and went over to Sadie’s side, his strength a
much needed comfort to her.  He placed his hand on the small of her back but looked at the doctor.  “Last September, my wife came here with a sick woman.  Her name was Hazel McPherson.  She was coughing up blood and had a fever.”

“She had reddish brown hair and was wearing a dark blue dress,” Sadie added.  “You said she had pneumonia.” She cleared her throat.  “She died a couple hours after she got here.”

“I remember her,” the doctor softly replied.  “And I remember you.”

“Did you ever find her next of kin?”
she asked.

“No, I didn’t.  There was nothing to identify where she came from.”

“She was on her way to marry me,” Al spoke up.  “I had posted a mail-order bride ad and she answered it. I never got a chance to tell her father what happened to her.”

“She’s in the cemetery a few blocks from here,” the doctor replied.  “I’m sorry but I can’t tell you anything else.”

“What you told us is fine,” Al assured him.  “I know where to send the letter.  I just wanted to be sure I could tell him where her body is.”

The doctor nodded.  “It’s never easy to lose someone that young
.  You said you married Sadie?”

The doctor
turned his gaze to Sadie who quickly looked away.  The doctor knew she used to work at Madame Eleanor’s, and though Al did as well, she really hoped he wouldn’t bring it up.

“Yes, I married her,” Al replied, his hand still on her back.  “Best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I’m glad,” the doctor said.  “For both of you.”

Sadie glanced at him and caught the doctor’s smile.  Relaxing, she returned the smile.  “Thank you.”

Al tipped his hat and led Sadie out of the building.

“Y
ou know how to contact her father?” Sadie asked.

“I do but the address is
back at our home.  I can’t send a letter until we’re back in Rapid City.” As they headed down the street, he added, “Let’s find out when the next train leaves.  If there’s still time to eat, we’ll catch breakfast at a restaurant.  If not, we’ll eat on the train.”

“I’ll be happy if I never see Omaha again.”

He cupped her elbow with his hand.  “You won’t have to come back here.  I promise you that.”

She looked up at him, picking up on the tenderness in his eyes.  “I love you, Al.”

He gently squeezed her elbow.  “I love you too, Sadie.”

In silence, they walked
to the train station.

***

A day after Al and Sadie returned to Rapid City, Sadie was hanging up the laundry behind the cabin when she heard Aunt Betty’s familiar greeting.  She paused, the clothespin hovering over Gilbert’s blanket.  But then she quickly secured the blanket to the line and picked Gilbert up from where he was playing in the grass.  She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and went to the front of the cabin where Aunt Betty was standing by the door, a basket in her arms.

After a moment
, Sadie pressed forward.  “Hi, Aunt Betty.”

The olde
r woman turned in her direction.  “I missed you when Al came by to get Gilbert yesterday.”

She
shifted so that the boy was better settled on her hip.  “I thought it might be best if I didn’t stop by.” She cleared her throat.  “In case you didn’t want me there.”

Aunt Betty
put the basket down and headed over to her.  “Oh Sadie, of course I wanted to see you.  Al told us what happened, and it just broke our hearts to think of everything you’ve been through.  No one can blame you for doing what you did, and the way I understand it, Hazel wanted you to get a new start on life.”

Sadie blinked back her tears and nodded.  “She did.  I have a lot to be thankful for because of her.”

The woman brought Sadie into her arms and gave her a warm hug that let Sadie know everything was going to be alright.  She really wasn’t going to hold anything Sadie had done against her.

“Thank you, Aunt Betty,” she whispered.

The woman laughed as she released her.  “Al’s like my nephew and you’re like my niece.  You’re family.  And in this family, we all take care of each other.” She cupped Sadie’s face in her hands and brushed her tears away.  “Now, I won’t have any more crying.  I came to bring you some things I thought you could use.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know, but I wanted to.” She turned to Gilbert and tapped his nose, an action which made him laugh.  “I got something for you, too, mister.  Come on.”

She gestured for Sadie to follow her, and Sadie did.
  Sadie opened the door and set Gilbert on the chair, but as she suspected, he crawled over to Aunt Betty who sat on the couch.

“I thought you’d be tired of me by now,” Aunt Betty said.  When he reached for the basket, she chuckled.  “How silly of me.  It isn’t me he’s interested in.  It’s the basket of goodies.”

“You’re much too kind, Aunt Betty.” Sadie sat next to her.  “You’re going to spoil us.”

“I’m not doing anything I wouldn’t do for anyone else in my family.  And besides, it keeps me busy.  I can’t stand to sit around when I could be doing something.  An active mind is a healthy mind.”

“I can’t argue that one.”

She lifted the lid from the blanket and glanced around the cabin.  “Is Al in the barn?”

“No.  He went to town.  He’s sending Hazel’s father a letter explaining what happened to her.”

Aunt Betty patted Gilbert’s back as the boy held onto her leg to maintain his balance.  “Al said Hazel probably died because her cousin poisoned her.”

Sadie nodded.  “James said she inhaled the poison.  Whether or not that’s true, I don’t know, but I was there when she died, and she was in a lot of pain.  It was horrible.”

“I bet it was.”

“I hate for her father to get the letter because it’s bound to devastate him, but he needs to know.”

Aunt Betty clasped her hand.  “Yes, he does.  Even though it’s painful, he should know what happened to her.  You and Al are doing the right thing.”

Sadie placed her hand over Aunt Betty’s and squeezed it.  “Thank you.”

She released Sadie’s hand and turned her attention back to the basket.  “
I got Al something, but it’s nothing he needs to eat right now.”

“You made him something to eat?”

“Just some candy.  Licorice mixed with toffee.”

“Sounds like an interesting combination.”

Aunt Betty laughed and took out a bowl with candy in it.  “It’s a favorite in my house.  I had to fend my husband away from this bowl so he wouldn’t eat all of it.”

Sadie giggled at the
image of Bear trying to sneak all the candy for himself.

“You ought to try one.  It is a good treat,” Aunt Betty said as she handed it to Sadie.

She accepted a piece of the tough candy and bit into it.

“You might want to let it melt in yo
ur mouth a bit before chewing,” Aunt Betty said.

Sadie decided to do just that and watched as Aunt Betty dug through the basket.

“Now,” the older woman began, “I know these are old blocks, but Gilbert played with them the whole time he was at my home.  I hope you don’t mind if I give them to him.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you,” Sadie replied despite the sweet candy in her mouth.

“It’s nothing.  One of my boys makes them.”

“Your family seems to know how to do everything.”

Aunt Betty grinned as she took ten wooden blocks out of the basket and showed them to Gilbert.  Gilbert let out an excited cry and grabbed them.  Some of the blocks tumbled onto the floor.  He quickly sat down to gather them.

“It helps to be able to take
care of yourself when you live all the way out here,” Aunt Betty said.

“I can see that.”
Sadie took a good look at the blocks and shook her head.  “Let me guess.  The teeth marks were from Gilbert?”